Frittatta

Well, since I wasn't able to begin my blog with lemon bars, as I had intended, I may as well tell you about the frittatta (which was, in fact, baked...so there.)

Frittattas are easy and sometimes even healthy. Once upon a time when I was a cafe chef I was paid to make frittattas that we then microwaved for our customers. I don't know about you but eggs and microwaves just make me a little squeamish. Here's a more appetizing, healthier, and veggie-friendly recipe for ya'll. You can pretty much use any add-ins you want, as long as they aren't liquid. Many people add cheese--the cheese I found in our fridge tonight was moldy, so I didn't (welcome to my world.):

3 eggs, separated
5 egg whites
1 roasted red pepper (either roasted in advance or pre-bought), sliced and diced to bite-size pieces.
roasted or pre-cooked onions
1/4 cup cilantro (minced/chopped)
2 TB parsley (minced/chopped)
1 or 2 green onions, sliced into circles
1 cup black beans (about half a can)
salt and pepper to taste
1 TB olive oil
1 TB veggie broth or chicken broth if you aren't vegetarian
FIRST IMPORTANT STEP: PREHEAT OVEN TO 425! I always forget to preheat, so I figured I'd make this in bold, for my benefit if not yours.
1 .Whisk together the egg whites for about 2 minutes, so they are very foamy.
2 .Heat olive oil and broth of your choice in a cast iron skillet. Medium high heat.
3.Whisk egg yolks together lightly, add to egg whites.
4. When skillet is hot, add the chopped up parsley, cilantro, and green onions and let sautee for a minute (really just a minute.)
5. Add egg mixture.
6. Quickly add all extra ingredients and stir into the egg mixture.
7. Let frittatta cook on the stovetop until the bottom seems mostly set (usually about 5-6 minutes). The top of the frittatta will still be liquid at this point.
8. Move skillet to preheated oven, cook for another 5-10 minutes or until the top of the frittatta is no longer liquid.
9. Remove skillet from oven. Turn off oven (I also tend to forget this...:-/ )

enjoy!

And, for your benefit, an extra little tip I learned at the cafe--potato chips! Add them to your eggs! Apparently, if you put potato chips in a frittatta, the egg will soak into it, absorbing the salty flavor and/or articficial flavorings (being from Baltimore, I feel compelled to mention Old Bay Chips, though I bet salt-and-vinegar or sour-cream and onion would also do the trick) and taking on the consistency of...well...a potato! Who would have thought? I still have yet to try this, but my old boss swears by it. If you happen to try it at home, let me know how it turns out.

Until then,

A&G